Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate for the Labour Party (LP), has criticized the governance system in Nigeria, stating that the current government is failing to serve the people.
In an interview with Arise News on Tuesday, Obi argued that Nigeria cannot be considered a democratic nation.
The former Governor of Anambra State expressed strong disapproval of the country’s political system, asserting that it is misleading to label Nigeria as a democracy. He emphasized that Nigeria lacks the essential principles and standards that define a true democracy.
Obi lamented that ordinary Nigerians are not benefiting from government policies and that their votes are disregarded during elections. He pointed out that while Nigeria’s democracy had made strides since 1999, it is now in a state of collapse under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“I have said it before, and I will continue to say that there is no democracy in Nigeria today. We are not living in a democratic country. Let’s stop deceiving ourselves. If you assess the country based on the key principles and criteria of democracy, it’s clear that it doesn’t exist here,” Obi stated.
He explained that democracy is supposed to represent a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. According to Obi, the current Nigerian government fails on all these fronts: it is not truly for the people, as citizens’ votes do not count; it is not by the people, as the election process has been undermined; and it certainly does not serve the people’s needs.
He also pointed to specific examples of government failures, mentioning his recent visit to an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, where thousands of people lacked basic healthcare services and education. “I visited an IDP camp, and they were pleading for a nurse. They don’t have a primary healthcare center, and no primary school. I have promised to ensure that they get both,” Obi said, highlighting the government’s neglect of fundamental services for the citizens.
